TO’s communicator gave them directions to the closest shop that carried sunglasses. They hurried along the street, hands over their eyes and heads down until they got to the shop and hurried in. The inside was also far too bright for them, but the moment they got in, they heard someone give an ‘oh’ of surprise before they hurried off somewhere. A moment later, the lights had dimmed significantly.
“Light sensitivity?” The person asked, “I’m guessing this is your first time off your home planet, then?”
“Something like that.” TO muttered as they rubbed their eyes. Even with the lights dimmed, it was still hard for them to see: The blue glow of overexposure kept them from seeing anything very well, save for faint outlines. Another moment passed and TO could look around and see relatively clearly.
The shop was in a circular room, with the rounded walls covered in accessories. Sunglasses, purses, shoes, jewelry, and decorative attachments for basic communicators all hung up, sorted by color. TO checked their own communicator again and checked to see the details about the shop; It appeared to be a high end accessories boutique.
“How’re your eyes doing?” The shopkeeper asked. Now that TO could see properly, they could see that the shopkeeper was another one of the many bird-like species of Arkane. They had black and white feathers, a rounder head, and large wraparound sunglasses over their eyes. A nametag on their shirt read, ‘Strig. He/Him.’
“Better.” TO said as they rubbed at their eyes. “That sun though-” “It’s a little brutal.” Strig said with a chuckle, “My eyes are better suited for the night too, so the moment you came in, I knew you needed some sunglasses.” They tapped at their sunglasses with a clawed hand, “You’re lucky I’m on shift today.”
TO heard a gasp from behind them, and for a moment they worried that something was wrong, but once they turned around and looked at DH, they saw that their mate had simply gasped in awe. DH ran over to a nearby shelf to look at a light teal bag with a series of blue-jeweled ants decorating the front flap.
“That’s new.” Strig said as they walked over to DH, “Just came in. The bag itself is lab produced leather, made by an atelier on Avalon.” “Avalon?” DH asked, not taking their eyes from the bag.
“One of Arkane’s moons.” TO responded..
“Right. And an independent artist on Avalon added the ants as well. Our boutique owner is currently selling it on consignment. It’s one of a kind.” They took the bag off of the shelf and opened it up for DH and TO to see inside. “As you can see, it has ample storage space, lots of pockets, and a padded strap.”
“I need a bag.” DH said almost as though pleading for it, “You know.. For my kit.” They gestured to the very plain-looking box in their hands.
“That would fit easily.” Strig said, “And it’s very durable, despite the delicate craftsmanship.” DH’s hands clenched into fists, their ears flicking, then drooping, “I… I suppose I don’t need one so fancy though.” They said.
“Why not?” TO asked, “You need a bag. This one is big enough, durable enough-” “But…” DH hesitated, looked to Strig, then to TO, “It’s really fancy.” They said in Synth speak, “And… and we don’t have fancy things. Civilians have fancy things; Rich civilians. With the amount of work that’s been put into this, wouldn’t that labor have been better spent more efficiently making more, but less fancy bags at a better price? I shouldn’t be supporting such a wasteful means of production… right?”
TO understood what DH was saying, and if they had wanted something so beautiful and lavish for themself, then they’d probably feel the same. But this was something that DH wanted, and the way their eyes lit up when they saw it, and the way their ears drooped when they thought they shouldn’t have it affected TO more than any beautifully made thing on Arkane. “It looks like we’ll be mingling with a lot of those kinds of civilians.” TO said, grinning, “If the party from yesterday is anything to judge by, anyway. We’ll need to blend in, so I’d say that not only can you get the fancy bag, but you should get it.” They turned to Strig, “My apologies for that. We’ll be getting that bag.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
It was likely too low for Strig to notice, but TO could hear the high-pitched, barely suppressed squeal of joy that came from the back of DH’s throat, and felt their own ears perk up. As far as they were concerned, they weren’t buying a bag, they were buying a moment of happiness for DH.
“I can do that.” Strig said, bringing the bag to the counter, “But, before I get this ready for you, the two of you need sunglasses, yes?” They turned to DH, “I can get you sunglasses that match this bag if you like-” Another squeal. TO knew that they’d be leaving with whatever matched that bag for DH.
======
TO knew little about money in a practical sense. They didn’t understand how digital numbers that didn’t even exist in reality could have so much value. Most synths were like this, but it didn’t matter as the funds made available to all of King Decon’s synths were practically limitless. Finances were a civilian matter, and not one that should hinder the duty of a synth.
That being said, TO knew that what they had bought was expensive, and they were happy enough that they didn’t understand just how expensive it all was. DH seemed entirely pleased with the bag that now held their first aid kit, along with their matching wrap-around teal sunglasses and the new case that fit over their communicator, complete with a small ant-shaped gem that hung from the case on a silver chain.
TO looked away from the tiny decorative bug. Why did ants seem to be such a prominent feature of decoration in Arkanian clothing? They had voiced that question in the shop, and Strig had told them why; the Arkanian Ant was found all across the planet. They were tenacious, hardworking, and were the pollinators of the gem-like fruits that TO and DH had tasted at the party.
“The official animal of Arkane is a hawk, but the ant seems to espouse virtues that we admire more.” Strig had explained. “Builders, who have made their home on every island across the planet. There’s an artistic quality to how they build their nests, and of course, were it not for the ant, there would be no ruby fruits!”
“Are you sure you didn’t want anything more colourful for yourself?” DH asked as they left. TO had chosen a plain pair of black sunglasses, had no interest in any decoration for their phone, and had chosen only a brown bag for themself. They didn’t need to carry anything, but it was best to have a bag, just in case.
“Positive.” TO said with a smile. “I don’t think I was as excited as you were.” DH’s ears dipped back, “Was I too excited?” They said, looking at the bag and the decoration on their phone. “I… didn’t really need all this, did I?”
Maybe they didn’t need it, but TO felt like they needed DH to have it. “I think it suits you.” TO said, “You looked so happy!”
DH’s ears flushed, but they gently stroked the decorative ants on their bag, “Well..” They said slowly, “I... I guess it’s ok, because I needed the sunglasses and the bag… But I can’t get carried away like that again! I have lavish, nice things; I have this bag, and glasses, and an entirely pointless trinket for my communicator. I don’t need any of it, and I won’t get so carried away again!” They looked seriously at TO, their ears pinning back, “It was all Strig’s fault! He just started talking about the bag- and I needed the bag anyway- and then I needed the glasses, and -”
“It’s alright!” TO insisted. “It all looks good.” “Well…” DH glanced at their outfit, “It looks a little odd with the black uniform though…” That was true. There was such a variety of different clothing on Arkane that TO had been certain their own outfits would blend in just fine. Maybe they would have if they hadn’t been together; They stood out more because they were wearing the same thing. It made TO realize that maybe that’s why the woman from the party thought they were staff and not guests. Wearing identical outfits gave their clothes a uniform like quality.
Well, no matter; they were about to fix that, anyway.
“You can pick something that will match your new things.” TO said. “Look-” They pulled up a list on their communicator, “There’s an entire list of different clothes we should get - different styles for different environments and situations.”
DH leaned over and looked over the rather long list. “That seems excessive.” They said as they adjusted the ergonomic strap of their one of a kind couture bag. “But… that’s what civilians are like, so we have to dress the same to blend in.”
TO nodded as they looked over the map. The shopping district was huge, and TO wanted to make sure they knew exactly where they were going so that they didn’t have to double back. If they weren’t careful about this, then their shopping could take several days of wandering about.
DH suddenly slipped their arm into TO’s, linking them together. Ears flushing, TO stiffened as DH leaned against them.
“T-this is ok, right?” DH asked, though they didn’t look at TO. “There were a few other civilians walking around like this, and. I figured since we already told one person who we were mates…”
Panic rose in TO’s throat as they looked around, their ears twitching as they listened to those around them. Yes, they were mates and yes; they had told Pholi at least, so it wasn’t a secret to civilians. Even if they got caught acting like a couple out in public, then at worst they could say that they were just trying to keep up a charade that explained why they were always together.
Though, TO wondered if that mattered anymore. Kei knew and might still tell their superiors when this was all over.
It didn’t matter. It really didn’t matter. Even though it didn’t matter, why did TO still feel so panicked? Why did they keep looking around, worried they’d get caught?
“Sorry.” DH said, sliding their arm out from around TO’s, “I didn’t… well I thought that…” Their ears sunk down, the flush leaving them as they twitched with anxiety. As soon as TO saw that, they wrapped their own arm around DH’s and pulled them in tight.
“It’s fine.” TO said, ignoring the burning of their ears as they went back to their map and continued to plot out their shopping for the day.